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Church Matters Volume V: Seasons in a Pastor's Life - From Beginning to End

When you’re young, you expect things like marriage and career to look one way, but so often it looks different. Like walking around the Byzantine hallways of a sprawling shopping mall, you sometimes stop, look around, and think, “Wait, how did I get here? Where am I?”

So in the life of a pastor. Entering the pastorate, you have one set of expectations. Then ministry takes you down strange pathways, whole seasons you didn’t anticipate. Every once in a while, you look around and think, “How did we get here? And, goodness, I’m tired.”

Having folks one or two steps ahead is helpful for moving through different seasons. They can explain what to expect. Satan fools us into thinking our situation is unique, our temptations unusual, our exhaustion beyond reckoning, like lions isolating an antelope from the herd. Yet how reassuring for an older brother to come along, place an arm around the shoulder, and say, “Don’t worry. I was there. And I got through it. Here’s what God taught me.” Ah, yes, maybe I can make it through, too.

Our goal for this edition of Church Matters is to have a number of men offer that arm for the shoulder. What should you expect for getting started, for the early stages of the race, for the many laps which follow, and for gliding gracefully through the finish line? Different seasons impose different challenges and afford different opportunities. Brother, pastor, are you ready for the next season?

Table of Contents:

At the Starting Blocks: Preparation

• Join a Church and Follow a Faithful Pastor by Joshua Chatman
• Elder Before You Elder by Zack DiPrima
• Attend to Your Character by Garrett Conner
• Listen to Others More Than Yourself: The External Call by V. Samuel Clintoc
• Balance Patience and Ambition by Billy Dalton
• You Aspire, but Are You Willing? by Raymond Johnson
• Candidate Wisely and Honestly by Branton Burleson

After the Gun: First Five Years

• Find a Mentor! by Cheston Pickard
• Be a Strong and Courageous Young Leader by Clint Darst
• Patience! Pick Your Battles Wisely by Jeramie Rinne
• Loving Your Family While Leading God’s Church by Liam Garvie
• Take Heart: Preaching to Encourage by Tiago Oliveira
• Young Pastor, Care for the Older Members of Your Flock by Dave Kiehn
• Make the Main Thing the Main Thing on Sundays by Bret Capranica
• Creating Healthy Membership Practices by John Deedrick
• Unique Temptations for a New Pastor by Brian Parks

Over the Long Haul: The Middle Years

• Prepare for Unexpected Storms by Josh Manley
• Raise up Leaders by John Folmar
• Persevere in the Highs and Lows by Clift Barnes
• Every Week I Preach My Guts out and . . . Nothing Changes by David King
• Work Hard and Stay Hungry by Juan Sanchez

Passing the Baton: Transitioning to the Next Guy

• How to Decide When It’s Time to Stay or Go by Phil Newton
• Why Is It Hard for Pastors to Let Go? by Sandy Willson
• Plan Your Transition by Michael Indorf
• Preparing a Church for Pastoral Transition by William Spink, Jr.
• Support the Next Guy by Doug Van Meter
• How Should I Serve My Church after I Stop Being Its Senior Pastor? by Bob Johnson

Finishing the Race

• Six Lessons I Learned When I Could Not Pastor by John Erickson
• Learn to Rest by Wes Pastor
• Pastor, Remember Where Your Identity Is Found Before You Retire by Phil Newton
• Brothers, Train Up the Next Generation by Mike Bullmore
• Anticipating Your Reward by Omar Johnson